Top 3 Most Dramatic Games in Football

Football is an incredibly intense sport, with fine margins determining league titles, promotions and relegations. The raw emotion the game can bring out of fans and players is truly second to none, and this can be the result of incredibly tense and dramatic fixtures. Football is loved across the world and regarded as one of the most popular sports, with films, stories, and even online casino slots designed around it. Over the years, we have seen some incredible action and moments of madness in football, so today we are going to look at some of the most dramatic games in football history.

The Miracle of Istanbul

The term ‘miracle’ is sometimes overused in football, but this extremely dramatic Champions League Final is very fitting for this title. In 2005, English giants Liverpool faced arguably the strongest side in the world at the time, AC Milan. Milan finished 2nd in Italy and dominated in Europe, topping their group and only conceding 1 goal in the knockout stages, despite taking on massive clubs like Manchester United, Inter Milan and PSV Eindhoven. Liverpool, however, was in a different position back in England, finishing their campaign in 4th. The group stage for Liverpool resulted in them finishing second behind Monaco, and facing 3 of the biggest teams in their respective countries, Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus and Chelsea. Defying the odds, Liverpool beat all 3, including Italian champions Juventus and English Champions Chelsea, to make it to the final in Turkey. 

Going into the final, there was a noticeable gap in quality between the 2 sides, and this showed just after the first 45 minutes. Milan found themselves 3-0 up at half time thanks to goals from Maldini and Crespo. The second half wrote a different story despite Liverpool fans’ disappointment. Captain Steven Gerrard led his team out and netted the first Liverpool goal of the game. After a long-range effort from Šmicer found the bottom corner, Gerrard was involved again, winning a penalty which Xabi Alonso followed in on the rebound to make the great 3-3 comeback. After extra time and an incredible save from Liverpool’s Jerzy Dudek, the game miraculously went to penalties, with Dudek’s heroics once more helping Liverpool achieve a 3-2 penalty win, lifting the 6th European Cup. To this day, this cup final remains one of the greatest in history and is massively credited to Steven Gerrard’s incredible leadership skills and desire to create one of the greatest comebacks of all time. 

‘Manchester City Are Still Alive Here’ 

In the modern day, Manchester City are an extremely dominant club in the Premier League, and a difficult team to come up against in Europe. But back in the 2011/12 season, Man City were looking to win their first domestic league title in 44 years. The table was tight between the top 2 Manchester clubs, so tight that the league may have had to be decided on goal difference if both teams were to win on the final day. With both kick-off times scheduled at the same time, the day was set up to be one of the most dramatic ends to a Premier League season of all time. Manchester United were set to face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, while City had to face Queens Park Rangers at the Etihad. 

Manchester United controlled their game against Sunderland, with a goal in the 20th minute coming from Wayne Rooney, putting United fans at ease and eagerly awaiting the Manchester City result. Upon the final whistle at the Stadium of Light, Manchester City were on the brink of dropping points, handing United the title. A late 92nd-minute goal from Edin Dzeko made things interesting, however, United fans were already in jubilation. But celebrations were soon cut short, with a 94th-minute goal from Sergio Agüero sealing the title for City on goal difference. This iconic moment has gone down in Premier League history as one of the most dramatic endings to a Premier League season and created one of the most recognisable commentary lines of all time.

The Treble 

Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson was unstoppable, and in 1999 could’ve made history by winning an English treble. The team standing in their way was also treble hunters, Bayern Munich. The teams faced each other twice in the group stages, drawing in both home and away games with very little to separate the 2 teams. United finished second in the group, facing and beating Italian giants Inter Milan and Juventus. While Bayern finished top of the group, taking on relatively easy opponents, FC Kaiserslautern and Dynamo Kyiv, to reach the final in Barcelona’s Camp Nou.

The game was off to a great start for Bayern Munich fans, netting the opener in the first 6 minutes from a Basler free kick. The game could have easily been taken away from Manchester United, with plenty of chances pounding Peter Schmeichel’s goal, but nonetheless, they managed to hold on to only a 1-0 deficit going into added time. Bayern were ahead and on the brink of taking home the 1999 Champions League trophy, until a goal from Teddy Sheringham found the back of the net in the 91st minute. United and their fans could sense an opportunity to steal the game late on, and in the 94th minute, David Beckham put in one of the most inch-perfect corners. The ball was met by the boot of Ole Gunnar Solskjær, winning the European Cup and completing a famous treble season.